The Mint Los Angeles, CA
Contact: Mike Gormley, LA Personal Development, [email protected]
Web: drsoundgood.net
Players: Doug Legacy, lead vocals, keys, accordion; Randy Mitchell, guitar; John Avila, bass, vocals; Jimmy Z, tenor saxophone, harmonica; Gary Ferguson, drums
Material: On the heels of their Lagniappe release, Doug Legacy & Dr. Soundgood delivered fun, upbeat energy with a tight band that combined blues, rock and funk for a blend of southern sound. Performing four tracks from the new record, as well as a couple from Legacy’s 2017 release, The Gumbo Brotherhood (Doug Legacy & Zydeco Party Band), and 1995’s New Hat (from Doug & The Mystics), the group brought great energy and a big sound to their 40-minute set.
Musicianship: With brilliant musicality and a comfortable flow between the talented musicians on stage, it is easy to love what they are up to. Swamp blues-feeling “Meet The Boys On The Battlefront” opened the show with a tasty tenor sax solo from Jimmy Z and guitar solo from Ray Mitchell. “Saturday’s Child” brought a more traditional rock feel, with feistier instrumentals and a great vocal breakdown. “Workin’ Man” (from New Hat) had fabulous slapping and walking lines from guest bassist John Avila, alongside syncopated drum riffs, high hat drive, and a rhythmic rimshot outro.
Performance: “Right Now Man” brought a gooier blues feel, adding Legacy on harmonica, with great sax growls from Z, and establishing a great mood for the room with the crowd nodding, stomping and clapping along, swaying to the group’s sound. Legacy kicked off “Everybody Lies A Little” with an accordion solo alongside rimshots on the drumkit, adding harmonica (Z), sax and guitar, and building into a delicious grungy shuffle. Cover song “Hey Pocky-A-Way” (originally by The Meters) featured Avila delivering stylistic badassery, a keyboard solo from Legacy and tenor sax solo from Z.
Summary: The accordion and solid walking bass lines continued on “King Cake” and “Crime Don’t Pay” (both from Zydeco Party Band recordings), the latter bringing an unexpectedly funky accordion intro, and adding tasty tenor sax runs and a great guitar solo from Randy Mitchell. With a stellar band of A-list musicians and a superb overall groove, Doug Legacy & Dr. Soundgood bring a combination of Cajun and zydeco sound and rounded gravelly vocals for an easy-to-enjoy vibe. – Andrea Beenham
